Learning control
by UK-824
Summary: Liam is still getting used to the idea of being a werewolf so he asks Scott some questions that have been on his mind. Scott teaches him about control, rabbit sandwiches, pack, and more. *Fourth Chapter posted. Scott Vs Peter, the showdown we've all been waiting for, and Liam learns that Lydia is always right.
1. Chapter 1

"Scott!" Liam Dunbar called out. He was in the hallway of Beacon Hills high school when he saw him. Scott was talking to his best friend Stiles about who knows what. Scott seemed to hear Liam because when he turned around and saw him, he waved his arm to tell him to come over.

"Hey, Liam. Your arm feeling better?" Scott asked as Liam made his way.

"Yeah, it healed fine."

"Great. So what's up?" Scott asked him.

"I wanted to ask you who that was yesterday, in the locker room."

"Who was in the locker room?" Stiles asked.

"It was Derek." Scott answered more to Stiles than Liam.

"Who?" Liam asked.

"Derek Hale. He's like us." Scott told him.

"You mean a…" Liam trailed off, not wanting to draw suspicion in the crowded hall.

"Yeah, he is." Scott told him. The bell for lunch rang just then and Liam had to cover his ears because of the volume. It died down soon enough. Liam looked up to see Scott smirking a little.

"Yeah, that happened to me too when I was first learning. C'mon, let's head to lunch." Scott told him as they started walking.

"How did you keep it all in check?" Liam asked, still having the ringing in his head.

"You find control. That's why I asked Derek to come yesterday. I wanted to see if he could help."

"You asked _Derek _for help on learning control? _Really?_" Stiles asked.

"He's been doing this longer than I have, ok? I figured since he's had Beta's of his own he'd know how to help me with Liam." Scott explained.

"And? Did he say anything that could help me?" Liam asked. Scott turned to him with a slightly sad expression.

"Not exactly. He said that your anger would help make you strong, which is great, but it would also make you dangerous." Scott told him truthfully.

"Well that's just great, a literal explosive case of rage induced supernatural strength on a freshly turned lycanthrope that's having trouble staying in control of himself. Fan-_tastic._" Stiles said sarcastically. "Well I'll see you two later, I have to go help Lydia with a few things in the library." Stiles continued.

"Alright man, see you later." Scott told him as he walked off. Scott also heard Liam growling next to him. "Liam. What's wrong?" Scott asked, flashing his eyes red for the briefest of moments to calm down his Beta.

"I don't like him." Liam answered.

"Who? Stiles?" Scott asked.

"Yeah. He makes fun of me whenever he talks about me, it gets aggravating real quick." Liam said. He looked to Scott, expecting an answer. At the very least he expected him to defend his best friend, but he didn't do either of those. Scott just looked at Liam for a few second before answering.

"C'mon, let's eat outside. It's a good day out." Scott said as he made his way out. Liam just followed him to a bench and sat down.

"God, I'm starving. I haven't had anything to eat since last night." Scott said as he took out a bag from his backpack. "You hungry?" Scott asked Liam.

"Yeah, a little." He answered. He was still waiting for Scott to get back to his earlier statement.

"You want some?" Scott asked Liam as he took out what seemed to be a sandwich.

"No thanks." Liam said. Though as he said so, he could smell the sandwich and he got hungry. He could smell some kind of meat, beef? Chicken? Scott noticed and grinned.

"You can smell it, cant you?"

"Yeah, I can."

"What do you think it is?"

"Is this really important?" Liam asked.

"Yes. Now guess." Scott replied.

"Fine. I think it's beef? Maybe chicken." Liam guessed.

"Nope. Close though. It's actually rabbit." Scott said as he took a bite.

"What?!" Liam was more than a little taken back at the statement.

"Yeah, hunted it down last week. Tricky little thing, but it was worth it." Scott said smugly as he took another bite.

"Are you serious?" Liam was about to be sick.

"Oh yeah. I had the same reaction you did but then I tried some. Little piece of advice, they taste better when you hunt it yourself." Scott informed.

"Oh my god. Please tell me you're joking." Liam asked and Scott just laughed.

"Yeah, I am." Scott said, grinning like an idiot as he just kept eating.

"What?" Liam asked flatly.

"It's a joke. This is just a normal pulled pork sandwich." Scott told him as he finished off the sandwich.

"Then why would you tell me it was rabbit?" Liam demanded.

"Cause it was a joke, you know, wolves and rabbits." Scott prompted.

"It's not funny."

"Yeah, I didn't think so when Stiles told me it either." Scott admitted to his new Beta.

"Wait. Stiles told you that?"

"Yeah."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Because that's just how Stiles is. He's a sarcastic little shit. It's his defense, his way of dealing with things." Scott started to explain.

"What do you mean dealing with things?" Liam asked

"Well, what were your thoughts when you realized that werewolves and other supernatural creatures are actually real?" Scott asked.

"I kinda freaked out a little. I'm still freaking out a little to be honest." Liam said.

"Exactly. But Stiles is different. He's actually the one who figured out I was a werewolf, even before I did. He did all this research and helped me control it. So he doesn't freak out. Well not noticeably. He hides it by helping others and making jokes about it all. You remember how a few days ago you came to the lake house-"  
"You mean you tricked me into going to the lake house" Liam corrected.

"Right, heh. Yeah sorry we had to trick you, but you wouldn't come if we didn't. And it was the full moon. We didn't want you to hurt people. Or yourself."

"Yeah, I get that now. Still having a hard time believing I'm actually a… a werewolf." Liam admitted.

"I did too. That actually goes back to what I was saying earlier. When we were all saying what we really were." Scott reminded.

"Yeah you guys were all trying to convince me it was all real." Liam remembered.

"Yeah, that part. Remember what Stiles said?" Scott asked. Truthfully, Liam didn't really remember right away, but it came to him after a little bit.

"He said he was possessed by an evil spirit."

"A _very_ evil spirit, yeah. For a long while he had that thing inside of him. It made him do terrible things and he remembers all of it." Scott told him.

"Oh my god." That was all Liam could say. He didn't know what else he could say, in fact.

"Yeah. We got it out of him but he still hasn't got over it completely. That's why he's a little more… insensitive lately with his sarcasm. He doesn't really mean to offend. It's just his way of defense. He doesn't have claws or fangs or super senses like we do. He has his brain, his bat, and his jeep." Scott explained to him.

"I, uh, I didn't know, honest." Liam explained. He didn't want to make Scott upset. He was a little surprised when Scott just smiled a bit.

"Yeah I know. People who don't know Stiles tend to not really get him. I just wanted you to know that he really isn't as bad as he seems at first glance." Scott tried to tell him.

"I get it. I'll try to understand but still…" Liam trailed off.

"Yeah I know. I'll ask him to lay off on you. I get that some things shouldn't be joked about, Stiles actually understands that more than you think." Scott informed.

"Really? How come?"

"Well it isn't really my place to tell you. I'm sure he'll tell you if you ask, just not right now. But trust me when I say he knows what it's like to have something. I do too, actually. Well, I guess not to your extent." Scott admitted.

"You do?" Liam asked.

"Yeah. I used to have a severe case of asthma." Scott informed.

"Used to? What happened, you grew out of it or something?"

"Not exactly. The Bite healed me of it, getting turned into a werewolf can actually cure lots of different things, even cancer." Scott explained.

"Really? Then how come it didn't get rid of my I.E.D.?" Liam asked, upset that it didn't work.

"I actually got curious about that too. I asked Derek and he said The Bite can't cure everything. It changes your body but not your mind or behavior. So basically it can heal physical things, even things with the brain. But mental and behavioural things, like schizophrenia and, well, your I.E.D, The Bite can't heal." Scott tried to explain to him gently. But Liam was downcast.

"So it changes what I am, but not who I am?" Liam said, hanging his head in sadness.

"Yeah, basically." Scott confirmed.

"So who I am is messed up in the head." Liam admonished himself.

"What?! No you're not!" Scott instantly defended.

"The Bite didn't cure me! That proves it's who I am!" Liam yelled out, eyes turning yellow.

"Liam!" Scott called out. His own eyes turning red. Scott tried to reign back Liam's growing emotions. "You need to calm down. Breathe, get your heart rate steady." Scott instructed, but it wasn't working, Liam began to shift further, Scott could see claws beginning to form.

"Liam!" This time Scott called out more forcefully, the same way he did with Isaac. He grabbed Liam's shoulders and forced his distraught Beta to look him in the eyes. "Listen to me, ok? Breathe, just breathe and try to calm down. Listen to your heart, you hear how fast it's going? You need to calm down, ok? Listen to my heart now, listen to my breathing. Focus, I need you to focus now, Liam. Focus on my breathing, listen to how it's calm. Match that. I need you to match that, ok? Just breathe." Scott insisted. He tried to breathe louder so Liam could hear him. To his utter surprise, it worked. He could hear Liam try to control his breathing, and he could hear his heart beat begin to slow down. Scott kept it up until Liam was back to normal.

"You ok?" Scott asked.

"Yeah." Liam said weakly. He looked like he was on the verge of tears but he was trying to keep it together.

"Are you sure?" Scott asked him.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Liam said, a bit more forcefully this time. Scott didn't want to push his luck.

"Alright. I'll take your word on that."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to freak out like that." Liam apologized.

"Don't worry about it. I did that a lot when I was learning how to control it. It's normal." Scott assured him.

"How did you learn to control it?" Liam asked, not wanting to go through what he just did again.

"A lot of it has to do with keeping my heart beat calm. Like we just did. Shifting is pretty closely tied to our heart beat, the faster it gets, the faster we shift." Scott explained.

"like the Incredible Hulk?" Liam asked. Scott couldn't help but laugh when he asked that.

"What? What's so funny!?" Liam demanded.

"Nothing, nothing. It's just, that was the exact same thing I said when I learned about that." Scott explained.

"Really?"

"Yeah, Stiles started to do a yowda thing after."

"What the hell is 'yowda'?" Liam asked, confused.

"Something from Star Wars I think." Scott told him.

"So you mean Yoda?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, that sounds right. I've never seen Star Wars so I wouldn't know." Scott admitted.

"You've never seen Star Wars? Seriously?"

"Oh man. You sound like Stiles, he's always getting on me for that." Scott complained.

"I'm like Stiles? I don't know how I feel about that." Liam admitted. Scott chuckled.

"I guess only about Star Wars, you two are similar. But back to the point. Controlling the shift." Scott said.

"You said something about your heart beat." Liam remembered.

"Yeah. Our heart beat is closely tied to our transforming. Have you gotten the hang of your hearing yet?" Scott asked.

"Kinda. If I really concentrate I can hear things, but it's harder than stuff like weights. That's easier, I just have to push a little harder and I get stronger." Liam informed.

"Yeah, that is a lot easier. But try to listen to my heart beat."

"You're gonna change here? In the high school? Where everyone can see?" Liam asked. Scott seemed to think about that for a moment.

"Lucky for us, we're outside during the time where everyone just wants to be inside. You see anyone out here besides us?" Scott asked. Liam looked around and saw that Scott was right.

"Huh, ok then."

"Right, now try to listen, ok?" Scott requested. Liam nodded and closed his eyes to focus.

"Can you hear it?"

"Yeah, I can. It's steady."

"Alright, try to open your eyes and keep listening." Scott instructed. Liam did as he was asked and saw Scott's face change. Turning from a normal teenager to a supernatural creature. Scott closed his eyes for a second before opening them again, revealing glowing red eyes. Scott then quickly shifted back to normal, not wanting to take the risk that someone might see.

"Did you hear it?" Scott asked.

"Yeah. It got faster when you changed, and when you changed back too. But it was calm when you were transformed. Why is that?" Liam asked.

"After a while, when you get the hang of it and can hold being transformed, your heart beat speeds up when you're either changing in or out of it."

"Will I be able to?"

"Definitely. You're actually doing better than I was. Every time I would play lacrosse, I would shift a little. Sometimes my eyes would glow, others my fangs would grow. I can tell you I ruined more than a couple pair of gloves when my claws came out." Scott told him. Liam seemed to cheer up knowing that he was doing good.

"So I can do this?"

"Yeah. Look, Liam, I get that you think that you might not be able to do this with your I.E.D. But I think that might actually be a good thing." Scott said. Liam got real interested at that.

"How in the hell does me having _intermittent explosive disorder_ be a good thing when I'm a werewolf?" Liam asked.

"Because they both have to deal with learning control. Learning to control yourself now that you're a wolf, it has a lot to do with controlling your anger, and I think that could help you with your I.E.D." Scott explained.

"I think I understand. But there's got be more to control than just your pulse. I don't think that's gonna be a permanent fix." Liam asked of Scott.

"You're right. Listen closely because this is very important. Keeping your pulse calm is one thing, ok? It helps. But what you need to find is an anchor." Scott told him.

"What's an anchor?"

"It's… how do I explain this?" Scott asked himself. "It's something that keeps you grounded to your human self. Something meaningful to you that keeps the human part of you in control." Scott explained. Liam tried to understand.

"So that helps you stay in control? You just think about your anchor and you're fine?" Liam asked.

"Kind of. It's more than just thinking about it. Your anchor has to be important to you, otherwise it won't do anything to keep you in control." Scott said.

"What's your anchor?" Liam asked.

"Me."

"You? How does that work?"

"Well, it's a little more complicated than that. A few months ago, soon after I became an Alpha, I started to have trouble controlling my shifts. Sometimes it wouldn't be too bad, it would just be my eyes turning red. But others I would almost shift completely, and lose control. I almost did that in front of my dad, who doesn't know about the supernatural. He was just making me so angry. My mom saw and took me away from the situation. I told her I had lost my anchor, so I couldn't completely control it. She told me to be my own anchor until I find a new one." Scott told him.

"Be your own anchor?" Liam repeated thoughtfully.

"Yeah. In fact, until you find one yourself, you should do that. Be your own anchor." Scott told his Beta.

"How do I do that?"

"Focus on you. Focus on what makes you who you are, what you're proud of, what you need, your strengths, your goals. Anything and everything that makes you Liam Dunbar. And then let that ground you, let all of that keep you anchored to your humanity." Scott told him.

"What makes me Liam Dunbar. Yeah, yeah I think I can do that. Your mom came up with this?"

"Yeah."

"She sounds cool. Is she a werewolf too?" Liam asked.

"No. But she knows I'm one. She's been really cool with it, helping me when I need it. I'll tell you who knows about us, cause there's a lot more than you might think." Scott informed.

"Ok then. I'll keep that in mind. Do… do you think you could help me with my anchor?" Liam asked, nervous.

"Help you? You mean help you find one?"

"More like help me focus on it. I don't know. I just… if it try to control this and my anchor doesn't work… I don't want to do anything I'll regret." Liam tried to say.

"You mean you don't want to hurt anyone." Scott assumed. Liam nodded. "You got it. It's the least I can do since I'm the one who put you in this situation." Scott said.

"You bit me so that I wouldn't fall off a building and die. I don't think I can blame you for trying to save my life." Liam defended.

"Still, you wouldn't have even needed to go to the hospital if I didn't hit you so hard during try outs. I got jealous that you were doing so well and I just kind of let loose. I always try to hold it back during games so I wouldn't be cheating, but it just got to me too much. I'm sorry, Liam, I really am." Scott apologized. What he did to Liam had been weighing on him ever since he did it. In all honesty, Scott was waiting for Liam to get angry. He was surprised when that didn't happen.

"I guess I understand." Liam said quietly.

"Um, what?" Scott said.

"I said I guess I understand." Liam repeated. He saw Scott's face and cracked a grin. "You weren't expecting that, I guess." Liam stated.

"Honestly? Not really." Scott admitted.

"I wasn't expecting that either. Usually when I hear something like this, I would go off. But now… I guess what I'm trying to say is that I understand what people can do when they're upset, more than most people. It's part of being human." Liam said.

"Funny, cause we're not exactly 100 percent human anymore. But that doesn't make what you just said any less meaningful." Scott said.

"Thanks." Liam was actually happy that Scott agreed with him. He sorta looked up to him.

"Ok, there's something I have to ask. You've been taking being a werewolf a lot better than I thought you would. Why is that?" Scott asked.

"Well, I was really upset at first. I mean, I'm not even completely human anymore! And I didn't really believe you in the beginning. But then the full moon happened and I changed. But then I saw you and how you were controlling it. You were in control and everything. I figured that if you can do it, then so can I. And now you're helping me control it too, so I'm not all that worried about it. I'm actually more concerned about the assassins that are coming to kill us all." Liam said.

"We don't know if you're on it yet." Scott said.

"But I could be on the third part."

"You're gonna be ok. No assassin is getting to you." Scott defended.

"How do you know that?"

"Because" Scott started as his eyes began to glow red "I'm gonna make sure of it. No one is going to hurt my pack." Scott stated with absolute conviction.

"Your 'pack'?" Liam asked, confused. Scott looked sheepish after he realized what he said.

"Yeah. I'm an Alpha now, so now I have a pack officially. I, uh, kinda just put you in there too without realizing it, you know, since I bit you. I get if you don't want to."

"No, no. It's fine. A pack is like a group of friends right?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, but its more than that. We look after each other, keep each other safe, help each other. I don't really know how else to explain it other than calling it 'pack'. It's almost instinctual. You'll see."

"Ok. But since you bit me, what does that make me to you?" Liam asked.

"You're my Beta, and I'm your Alpha."

"So you're like my boss?" Liam asked.

"I'm your friend." Scott corrected. "But I'm also responsible for you. It's my job to teach you how to control your new powers, and also help you out when you need it. In a pack, the Alpha is the leader."

"So it's like the pack is a team, and you're the captain?" Liam asked, using lacrosse jargon to explain.

"Yeah, it's almost exactly like that. Except with the supernatural." Scott agreed.

"Alright, I get it now. Kinda."

"Good timing too, cause lunch is almost over. If you have any more things you wanna talk about, you can come over to my house after school if you want." Scott offered.

"Alright, thanks, I'll probably take you up on that." Liam said as he got up to go to class.

"Right. And Liam?" Scott called after him. He wanted to say something to the kid, something he wanted to hear when he was going through all this when he got bitten.

"Yeah?" Liam asked. Scott walked towards him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know what you're thinking about yourself. You think since The Bite didn't cure you that you have a problem. But you don't. You're not 'messed up in the head', you just have some trouble with your anger. You're not a monster either. You're a werewolf. That doesn't have to be a bad thing. I'm your friend, and your Alpha, and I promise I'm gonna help you with both of those. So don't think like that about yourself. Some things about you are different now, sure, but that doesn't change the fact that you're still Liam Dunbar. And it doesn't change the fact that you're still a good person, and **that** is all that matters. Got it?" Scott told him. Scott wanted Liam to know that no matter what he thinks about himself, he isn't alone. And it seemed to have the intended effect. Liam was looking at Scott like he just told him he won the lottery. His posture changed, and it looked like a giant weight was lifted off his shoulders. He started to sniffle and Scott could see him fight back at least a tear or two. Scott just pulled his new Beta in for a hug and held him for a bit.

"Thanks, Scott."

"Anytime, Liam."

**(A/N. Thanks for reading. If you liked it, leave a review if you can. I'm always looking for constructive criticism and the like. **


	2. Chapter 2

Run, dodge, shoot, score. That was all that was on Liam Dunbar's mind as he ran towards the goal on the lacrosse field. He had the ball and was sprinting to the other goal, the only thing stopping him were the defenders and the goalie. And the fact that one of the defenders was none other than Kira Yukimura, resident kitsune of the pack that he was a part of. Now, as a werewolf, Liam had the edge in strength but Kira was lightning fast, and while she had a lacrosse stick in place of her katana, she handled it with the same amount of skill. Coach had the team split and have a practice game against each other. Even so, Liam didn't feel all that bad easily beating his team mates, but getting past Kira would be difficult. He was considering trying to dodge her when he saw number 24 on his left. He turned and briefly made eye contact with Stiles Stilinski and a plan was hatched between them. At least that's what Liam hoped for. He passed to Stiles and immediately, Kira's attention was on him. Liam took that opportunity to run past Kira right as stiles passed the other defender. Stiles faked shooting the ball into the goal and instead passed to Liam, who took advantage of the goalies distraction to shoot the ball and score.

"That's how it's done! Good hustle out there Stilinski, Dunbar!" coach praised. He was in an unusually good mood for him, mainly because the team was performing so well. He even was letting up on Greenberg, only yelling at him five times.

"Yukimura! Over here now! I want a word." Coach called over to Kira. "The rest of you, pack it in! We're done for the day." Coach told the team. Kira groaned and headed to coach.

"Oh, thank god. I'm dead tired." Stiles complained to no one in particular as he took off his helmet.

"We've only been out here for a couple of hours." Liam told him.

"K, well I'm just human. We get tired a lot easier than you furry little creatures." Stiles said while he waived his hand between Liam and someone else. Liam turned to see that he was gesturing to Scott, who was coming over to the both of them.

"You know I heard that, right?" Scott said to his best friend. Liam could see the grin on his face through his helmet.

"Good. That was the point." Stiles grinned back.

"Maybe if you practiced more, you'd be in better shape." Scott said.

"Maybe if you two stopped cheating, you'd be feeling the same way I am." Stiles said through rough breathes.

"It's not our faults. We can't turn all of it off." Scott defended himself and Liam.

"Well, nyeh." Stiles couldn't find a retort, so he just made a face at the two werewolves.

"That's attractive." Scott told him. "Besides, I don't see you complaining to Kira about using her powers." Scott said.

"Well, that's because she lost. Speaking of which, good pass there Liam." Stiles told the freshman.

"Thanks, nice fake out on the defense." Liam said honestly.

"Why thank you. A little part of me was always good with tricking people." Stiles grinned to Scott, who just groaned a little. "Dude, _really_?"

"What? Admit it, it's a little clever." Stiles prompted.

"Ok, I'm confused. What are you talking about?" Liam asked the two.

"It's a long story. C'mon, we should probably head back too. Kira's probably waiting for us." Scott said as he started jogging off.

"Man, he's whipped." Stiles told Liam. Liam heard Scott retort with his enhanced hearing.

"He says he heard that." Liam told him.

"Good." Stiles said. Liam sniggered a little before continuing.

"He also says 'shut it, little spoon'. Now what could that mean?" Liam teased.

"It mean that you are enjoying this way too much." Stiles said as he followed Scott and motioned for Liam to follow.

They got back inside and saw Kira already waiting for them, still in uniform with Scott.

"How'd your talk with coach go?" Stiles asked.

"Horrible. He told me that I wasn't paying enough attention and that I need to get my head in the game more." Kira sulked.

"That doesn't sound too bad." Stiles said.

"He more yelled it than said it." Scott told him.

"Oh, then that's good." Stiles told her.

"What? How is that good?" Kira asked, whipping her head up.

"Did coach say something along the lines of 'you're wasting potential that you can't afford to waste' or 'step it up Yukimura, or you'll be running laps till your leg fall off'?" Stiles asked her.

"Yeah, something like that."

"Then he likes you. He does that whole 'tough love' thing on the players that he sees have potential. Heavy emphasis on the 'tough' part."

"Then why doesn't he yell at Liam?" Kira asked.

"Because you have lots of natural talent, or I should say, supernatural talent, but not a lot of skill. Liam already has the talent and skill for lacrosse." Stiles explained. Liam was expecting to feel some kind of resentment from Stiles, but was surprised when he didn't. Just honesty.

"Okay, that makes sense. Is that why he yells at Greenberg so much?" Kira asked.

"No, he just hates Greenberg." Scott answered. "Though nobody knows why." Scott added as an afterthought.

"Alright, good to know." Kira said. She then turned to Scott "I'm gonna change, meet you at your bike?" Kira asked Scott, who smiled warmly and nodded.

"Maybe Stiles was right, you are whipped." Liam quipped as Kira went off.

"You're my Beta, aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Scott asked.

"Now, now. Liam is old enough to make his own decisions. You don't need to be such a werewolf dad." Stiles said.

"I'm not a werewolf dad." Scott defended.

"Sure you are. And Liam's your little werewolf son." Stiles continued to joke.

"I am not his werewolf son!" Liam stated.

"Hi, not his werewolf son, I'm Alpha." Scott said in his best/worst dad impression. Both Liam and Stiles had looks on their faces that said 'are you serious?' Stiles put his head in his hand and groaned.

"Oh my god that was horrible. You really are a werewolf dad." Stiles complained.

"What? Admit it, it's a little clever." Scott echoed back to Stiles.

"It really wasn't." Liam told him. Scott feigned hurt.

"Whatever, I thought it was funny. I'm gonna go get changed. Me and Kira are hanging out tonight." Scott told them

"Kira and I. Seriously Scott, you took PSAT' s not too long ago. I helped you study for it." Stiles admonished.

"Only because you and Malia were doing anything **but** studying." Scott teased.

"Shut up." Stiles said as his face turned slightly pink.

"Ohoho, you dog you."

"Uh no, that would be the two of you." Stiles said as he pointed to Scott and Liam.

"Wolves, actually. But you knew that." Scott said.

"Uh, guys, do you think it's such a good idea to talk about that here?" Liam asked as he glanced around nervously. Stiles just patted his shoulder.

"Relax, Liam. Look around, everyone's in the locker rooms or already gone. We're good." Stiles reassured.

"Anyway, I really do have to get going, gotta shower quick." Scott said as he went off as well.

"He does have a point, we smell." Stiles said.

"Believe me, I know." Liam stated.

"Oh yeah, super senses. How's that going for you?" Stiles asked as they made their way to the locker room.

"It sucks. I mean, it's better than it was at the very beginning, and Scott's been trying to help me with it too, but we haven't had much time to practice it because of everything that's going on. So sometimes I can pull most of it back, but others, like right after lacrosse, it's harder for me." Liam told him.

"Yeah, I figured. Scott had the same problems when he started out. I tried to help him learn control but there was only so much I could do."

"Yeah, he told me about that a while ago."

"He told me about that too. Which leads me to saying this. I'm sorry, Liam." Stiles told him. Liam was intrigued. "About?"

"About what I said to you. About your I.E.D and stuff. I know it isn't ok to joke about stuff like that, trust me, _I do_. It's just… I went through a lot recently. And all these jokes and sarcasm, it's just my way of dealing with it." Stiles tried to explain.

"I know. Scott told me about that. We talked a while ago and I get why you did it. We all need ways to cope with things." Liam said.

"Still, I might have been _slightly_ overly dickish to you about it-" Stiles started.

"_Slightly _dickish?" Liam challenged with an eyebrow raised.

"Okay, fine. I was not _slightly_ overly dickish. I'm trying to make an apology here."

"Oh, I know. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it." Liam said with a grin.

"You little fuzz-butt. Here I am, trying to be all forthcoming and apologize and you're just being a little runt about it." Stiles complained with narrow eyes.

"Maybe, but it sure is fun." Liam said. After a while he continued "look, Stiles, I get you're trying to apologize. And I accept it, by the way, but man. You suck at it." Liam told him.

"Noted, but hey, you accepted my apology, so I'm good." Stiles said. Just then Liam's phone buzzed.

"Who's that?" Stiles asked.

"Mason." Liam said as he checked his message. "Dammit." Liam said.

"What happened?" Stiles asked.

"Mason was supposed to give me a ride home after practice, but he had to bail. Apparently Sam Colt asked him out and he just, and I quote '_had to jump up on all that goodness_'." Liam said. He turned around to see Stiles with a confused look on his face.

"He's been watching a lot of True Blood. There's this one guy on there, Lafayette something. Mason really likes him." Liam tried to explain.

"Ok. That makes virtually no sense seeing as how I don't watch that show, but ok. I take it you watch it?" Stiles pondered.

"I've only seen the episode's that I've seen with Mason. So only like seven of em." Liam admitted as he shrugged.

"Well, alright then. Why don't you just run home? You can manage that right?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah, but it's supposed to rain. And we were gonna hang out for a few hours." Liam said.

"Hey, if you want, I can give a ride home." Stiles offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I have a jeep. An awesome jeep, by the way." Stiles bragged.

"Yeah, I've seen it. It's…not bad." Liam admitted.

"Not bad? Boy, I am offering you a ride in the very same vehicle that fought a kanima. And **won**." Stiles said.

"What's a kanima?" Liam asked.

"Scott didn't tell you? Howbout that. It's a walking snake/man thing. We fought one a while back, the thing was virtually indestructible. It's a long story."

"Seriously? What have you guys dealt with?"

"If you don't mind shifting those few hours from Mason over to me, we can go to my house and I can fill you in." Stiles offered. Liam pondered it for a moment before answering "Yeah, sure. Thanks."

"No problem." Stiles said.

Soon after Stiles and Liam were done, they both headed to the jeep.

"You can put your stuff in the back." Stiles said, Liam did as he suggested and sat in the front.

"So Liam" Stiles started as he got in the front "how has Beacon Hills been treating you since you came here?" Stiles said as he started to drive.

"Well, it started off as ok. But then the lacrosse captain tackled me and broke my ankle. Then I got attacked by guy who said he was a wendigo, pretty sure he wanted to eat me, then I almost fell off the hospital rooftop. Then I got bitten an Alpha werewolf and then said werewolf and his best friend kidnapped me, thanks for that by the way." Liam stated sarcastically.

"You're welcome." Stiles said with a cheeky grin.

"Then the werewolf and his friends tricked me into getting chained up at a boat house. Then I transformed into a werewolf myself and almost completely lost control. After that it was relatively calm but then I got poisoned with wolfs-bane and thrown into a well. So all in all, it's been fun." Liam stated sardonically. Stiles patted his shoulder.

"Welcome to Beacon Hills, town of adventure." Stiles said.

"So it's always been like this here?"

"Sorta. For the most part it was pretty normal. Scott and I didn't even know about the supernatural until about a year and a half ago, but that was around the time he got bit."

"Scott was bit? By who?"

"Peter Hale, Derek's uncle. He was an Alpha back then. Then we managed to set him on fire and Derek slashed his throat open. Then he came back from the dead and is a giant pain in the ass." Stiles explained.

"Wait a minute, he came back from the dead? How is that possible?"

"Like I said before, it's a long story. Here, we're at my place." Stiles said as he pulled up to the driveway. It had started to rain on the drive so the both of them quickly headed into the house.

"You want something to eat? We have frozen pizza and pop tarts." Stiles offered.

"That sounds good, thanks." Liam said as he took a seat in the living room. A few minutes later Stiles came pack with a box of smores pop tarts.

"There ya go. Pizza should be done in 15 minutes."

"A whole box?"

"Yeah. I make sure to keep em stocked. Scott comes by and they're his favourite, figured you might like em too."

"You're not wrong." Liam said as he dug into the snack.

"Wow, you are inhaling that box."

"What? I'm hungry, being a werewolf comes with an appetite." Liam said as he was on his sixth one.

"I know, Scott ate a rabbit once." Stiles started.

"No he didn't. He told me about this joke, wasn't that funny." Liam said.

"Aww man. I got all the new werewolves with that one." Complained Stiles.

"Wait, 'all'? Scott bit more people?"

"No, you're the only one he's bit. But Derek was an Alpha before and he made a few werewolves of his own. **Them **I got." Stiles explained.

"Was this before or after Peter came back to life?" Liam asked, not being entirely serious.

"Before, but I got a few after as well."

"Good to know."

"Well, we might as well get started. Feel free to jump in whenever you have questions. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Good. Well, one night I convinced Scott to come with me to search for a dead body."

"Oh, my god. Are you serious?" Liam asked.

"100 percent. In hindsight, might not have been my best idea ever, but it was the night before we started school and I wanted to start sophomore year with a bang. So anyway, I managed to convince him to come with me because we were looking for only _half_ a dead body."

"How is that even remotely better?" Liam asked incredulously.

"It's cooler."

"It really isn't. If anything it's more disturbing."

"Ok, well, that's just how it went. Anyway, we were looking in the woods and we got separated. Scott wound up finding the other half of the body but we weren't the only ones out there that night. Peter was out there too, back when he was still an Alpha."

"So he isn't an Alpha now?"

"No he isn't, thank god for that."

"Is it because he died?"

"Yeah."

"How do you become an Alpha?" Liam pondered.

"Why, do you want to be an Alpha?" Stiles asked.

"I dunno, but from what I've heard it doesn't sound too bad."

"Well, you become an Alpha by killing one. That's how Derek became one, he's the one who killed Peter."

"Scott killed an Alpha?!" Liam seemed appalled at the notion.

"No, no he didn't. Scott's an exception to the rule. He's something called a True Alpha. That means he became an Alpha all on his own, by the strength of his will and virtue." Stiles explained.

"So he hasn't killed anyone?" Liam nervously asked.

"No, so you can relax Liam." Stiles said.

"Alright then. But is that why his eyes are red, because he's an Alpha?"

"Yeah. I should probably give you a little info on werewolves before we continue. For starters, there are three kinds of werewolves, Alpha's, Beta's, and Omega's. Alpha's, like Scott, are usually the strongest kinds. They're stronger than most Beta's and Omega's. They all have red eyes, all of em. Alpha's have their own packs and are the leaders of their packs. They're also the only kind of werewolves that can make more werewolves, either by bite or, in extremely rare cases, by scratch. With me so far?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, now Beta werewolves, like you, are the wolves in the Alpha's pack. They're not as strong as Alpha's but they can get stronger by being part of a bigger pack. Being in a pack is kind of like a synergistic relationship between the Alpha and the Beta's. They get stronger from each other, the more wolves in a pack, the stronger all the wolves become." Stiles continued.

"I get it."

"Good, now onto Omega's. Omega's are wolves without packs, they're the lone wolves. They still have super senses and strength and all that, but because they aren't part of a pack, they don't get the benefits of being in one. Omega's can also be used to describe wolves that are part of a pack, but they're on the bottom of the food chain. They're the last to east, have to take all the abuse from the rest of the pack, and are essentially the bitches of the pack."

"Woah, that's harsh."

"Yeah, well, what can you do?" stiles said as a ding went off. "That'll be the pizza." Stiles left to go get it and came back a minute later with fresh pizza already cut on a plate.

"Dig in. Just leave some for me alright?" Stiles requested.

"I will make no such promises." Liam stated are he grabbed a slice.

"Right, ah crap! Hot, hothothothothot shonofabeesh!" Stiles exclaimed as he suffered from eating too hot pizza.

"Too hot?" Liam teased.

"Shut it." Stiles told him with no real venom behind it.

"Alright, alright. Can you tell me about eye colours? I get that Scott's are red because he's an Alpha, but mine are yellow and Malia's are blue. Or is that just because she's a were-coyote?"

"No it's not because she's a were-coyote. Werewolves have three different eye colours, red, yellow, and blue. Alpha's have red eyes, as we already covered, but yellow and blue mean something different. Apparently, when a werewolf kills an innocent person, their eyes turn from yellow to blue. If you haven't killed an innocent, they stay yellow. Malia's are blue because when she was little she lost control of herself during a car ride and accidently killed her mother and sister." Stiles explained.

"So Scott's eyes were yellow before he was an Alpha?"

"Yep." Stiles said through a mouth full of pizza. Not too long after, they were finished with all the food and Stiles continued his story.

"Now Peter bit Scott and that's what turned him into a werewolf. At first he had no idea what was happening to him, but I figured it out. Then Derek came into the picture."

"The guy from the locker room?"

"Yeah him. It's weird, now that I think about it he spends a alarmingly large amount of time there despite no longer being a student. Anyway, he tried to teach Scott about being a werewolf but he was too vague and cryptic so I tried instead." Stiles said as the front door opened.

"Stiles? You home?" a man Liam wasn't familiar with called out.

"Over here, dad." Stiles waved over to his father.

"Hey kiddo. Who's this?"

"Uh, dad, this is Liam Dunbar. He's a freshman and a new werewolf. Scott bit him and now I'm just filling him in on what happened in this town. Liam this is my dad, the sheriff." Stiles introduced them to each other. The two shook hand in introduction.

"Good to meet you, Liam. I hope my son hasn't disturbed you too much."

"Not too much, sir." Liam said.

"Call me John. Has Stiles shown you the chessboard?" John asked.

"Not yet, I was gonna get to that."

"Alright then. If you two need anything, I'll be right upstairs. It was nice to meet you Liam. Good luck with all this." John said as he went upstairs.

"You're dad seems nice." Liam told Stiles.

"He is. He actually just learned about the supernatural not too long ago. But anyway back to the story. You ready?"

"Yeah." Liam said as he sat back down.

The next hour was devoted to Stiles informing Liam of all that happened in the town of Beacon Hills. He told him about Peter and the fire that killed most of his family.

"Holy crap, 6 years in a coma?"

"Don't feel too sorry for him, like I said he killed his own niece for power."

He told him about what Kate did.

"How could she do that? She killed an entire family." Liam said, appalled at the very notion.

"She's more of a monster than anything we've faced, and that's saying something."

Stiles told him about Isaac and the situation with the kanima and Peter rising from the grave.

"So Isaac was Derek's Beta but then he became Scott's?"

"Yeah, but now he's in England, he had to get away from this town, we don't blame him."

"And Jackson is a werewolf now? With blue eyes?"

"Yep. His eyes are blue because of the people he killed as the Kanima, but he's alright now. He's in London."

"And Peter came back by controlling Lydia?"

"Uh-huh. We never forgave him for that. Doubt we ever will."

He told him about the Alpha pack and the Darach.

"Hold on. The three of you… 'died'?"

"Sorta, kinda. It was really unclear. But yeah, essentially we 'died' to find our parents."

"And then you guys let this Deucalion guy go?"

"Yeah. We know it might not have been our greatest call, but it was more Derek and Scott's idea."

"And the twins joined the pack?" Liam asked. Stiles actually looked a little guilty.

"Not exactly. They kinda did but we never really gave them the chance. They just wanted a second chance and well, we didn't give them the shot they deserved.

"I take it something bad happened to them?"

"Yeah. See, you're starting to catch on." Stiles joked. He then described what happened with the Nogitsune.

"Oh god! Allison was killed?" Liam asked, horrified.

"Yeah." Stiles said with sadness that Liam could literally feel roll off him.

"She seemed so strong."

"She was. She was the one who figured out how to kill the Oni."

"Please tell me you killed that thing." Liam asked. He didn't know Allison personally, but she sounded like someone Liam would have looked up to and he wanted justice for her.

"We killed the Oni, yeah." Stiles said. "But the Nogitsune was a lot harder to beat. After Scott and Lydia got that thing outta me, it didn't give up quietly. Scott and the others thought that killing it might kill me too." Stiles said.

"So then how did you guys beat it?" Liam asked.

"With a divine move. We sealed it inside a container made from the wood of the nematon. But we suffered so many losses." Stiles muttered. Liam could feel sadness and something else from Stiles.

"You blame yourself." Liam realized. Stiles looked up in surprise.

"How did you…?"

"I could smell it. Why do you blame yourself? It wasn't you who did all those things." Liam stated.

"Then how come I remember doing it all, huh? Why do I have these memories of watching my friends suffer and die? Liam, I remember all of the things that son of a bitch did while it possessed me. **All **of it. I remember **my** hands doing it, not someone else's. So yeah, I blame myself." Stiles said. They just sat there in silence for a while before Liam got up and grabbed Stiles' hand.

"Hey, what are you-" Stiles didn't say much after because Liam used Stiles' hand to smack him in the face. Liam sat back down.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you little runt?!" Stiles accused as he rubbed his cheek from where Liam hit him.

"What's going on down there?" John called from upstairs.

"I'll let you know as soon as I figure that out, dad." Stiles called back. "Seriously, what the hell?" he asked of Liam.

"What? I didn't do anything." Liam said.

"You just hit me." Stiles accused.

"No I didn't. You hit yourself. It was kinda weird." Liam countered.

"I only hit myself because you-… because you made me do it." Stiles said slowly as he realized what Liam was doing.

"But you said yourself that since it was your own hands, you did it. Right?" Liam said with a smug grin. Stiles began smiling too.

"Alright, fine. I get what you're saying." Stiles admitted.

"Good. Now can you tell me what happened after you sealed it away?" Liam asked.

"Yeah. After everything calmed down a little, we had a funeral for Allison. Isaac still had pull at the graveyard so he managed to clear it for the whole day for us. We buried Aiden the same day. It wasn't the best day of our lives, but strangely enough, it wasn't the worst either. We like to think she's at peace now and watching over us. And as for Aiden, well, he'll always be with Ethan." Stiles said somberly. Stiles and Liam just sat there in silence for a while in respect for the two. Liam was hesitant on breaking the silence but he did so anyway.

"So, uh. Do you think you could tell me the rest of what happened?" Liam asked.

"Yeah. So eventually, we figured out that Derek was kidnapped by someone. We went to Mexico because we thought it was the Calaveras, a hunter family, but we realized that it was actually Kate."

"Kate? You mean the same Kate that Peter killed by slashing open her throat?"

"Yeah. It sucks that the people who don't stay dead in this town are the people who **should** stay dead. Apparently, since Peter was an Alpha when he slashed her, he managed to turn her by scratch. But she didn't turn into a werewolf. From what we know, she's some kind of were-jaguar. And she's the one controlling the Berserkers. So yeah, we got Derek back but Kate somehow de-aged him into a teenager. Then he re-aged but is now somehow losing his powers. Then you came into the picture. And now you're all caught up."

"Wow. That's… that's a lot to take in." Liam commented.

"Yeah I know, but it gets easier once you find a way to deal with it. Just so you know, wisecracking is my thing." Stiles quipped.

"What if I wanna wisecrack?" Liam asked with a grin.

"Well, maybe we can work something out. Hey, it's getting late, I'll drop you home."

"Are you sure? Like you said, I can run home."

"Nah, it's fine. Besides, it's raining out." Stiles said as he got up to get an umbrella.

"Alright, thanks, again." Liam said.

"Hey, dad! I'm gonna drop Liam home." Stiles called to his dad.

"Alright. Take the umbrella, it's raining out." John called back.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be back in a bit."

"Thanks for telling me all this, Stiles." Liam said as he followed him to the door.

"No problem." Stiles said as he ruffled Liam hair and opened the door.

"Don't do that." Liam told him. Stiles pretended to think about it for a minute.

"Nah, it's fun." Stiles said as he ruffled Liam's hair again to prove his point. He then went to start up the jeep, where he found it was indeed raining.

"Jerk." Liam called to him.

"I heard that." Stiles said.

"Good." Liam replied as he grinned and shut the door behind him.

**(A/N. So I actually decided to write another chapter because one of the reviews I got requested it and the idea's just came rolling in. I might write a couple more because I do have more ideas that would work well for the story. So yeah, if you liked it, drop a review if you want.)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Dad! I'm going out to meet some friends." Liam called out from the front door of his house.

"Can I ask who?" Liam's stepfather asked.

"Scott McCall and his friends. He's captain of the lacrosse team and they're gonna teach me a few things." Liam told his father. He wasn't exactly lying but he wasn't exactly telling the whole truth either. Scott was going to train him in being a werewolf.

"Is this the same Scott McCall that put you in the hospital?" he asked.

"Uhhh, yeah?" Liam nervously stated.

"I don't know how I feel about that."

"He apologized. Like a lot. And he's been making it up to me ever since." Liam quickly said.

"Liam… 'sigh' ok fine. But I want you home within two hours, 9'O clock. No more, no less." His stepfather relented.

"Yeah, you got it." Liam said as he heard the now familiar honk of Stiles' jeep outside. "That's them, gotta go. Bye, dad." Liam said as he left the house. Stiles and Scott were waiting in the jeep.

"Hey Liam, how's it going?" Stiles asked as Liam got in the back.

"Ok, I guess. My dad still hasn't really gotten over you putting me in the hospital, Scott. He says I have to be back by 9." Liam told them.

"Yeah, that sounds fair." Scott said as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"So where are we going?" Liam asked.

"Derek's loft. It's big enough so we can really practice and Derek's gonna be there too, and he'll show us some things." Scott answered.

"Great."

"Have you had any luck with your anchor?" Scott asked.

"A little, I guess. I've been able to pull back a lot easier since you told me about it. Sometimes I try just flashing my eyes when I'm alone and I can keep control just fine. The same thing with my claws. I don't try to do anything more cause I don't wanna risk losing control." Liam told him.

"That's smart. When we get to Derek's we can let loose a little." Scott told him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Scotty. 'Let loose'? I'm not entirely sure I like the sound of that." Stiles said.

"C'mon Stiles, controlling this takes a lot of effort. You know that sometimes I go for a run in the woods and shift." Scott told him.

"You do?" Liam asked.

"Yeah he does. It doesn't make me all that comfortable knowing that." Stiles said.

"I love how much faith you have in me." Scott said.

"You're welcome."

"What does it feel like when you run?" Liam asked, curious about what it felt like. Scott pondered it for a moment, trying to find the right words for it.

"It feels… it feels like when you score the winning goal in a lacrosse game. Like when you finally get that thing you've always wanted, whatever it is. It just feels good, and free." Scott tried to explain.

"Can I go with you sometime? You know, when I have control down." Liam asked.

"Definitely. Malia sometimes comes with me too, but only when she has a real grip on herself." Scott told him.

"Yeah, still not too thrilled about that anyway." Stiles said.

"Are things still tense between you two?" Liam asked. Stiles just sighed.

"Yeah. Things are getting better though, but god. It's still a pain. I really don't want to be like this with her but we kept something like that from her, so I guess I get where she's coming from. It still sucks though." Stiles answered.

"Don't worry man, you two will be back to the way you were, I'm sure of it." Scott assured.

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely."

"Thanks, man."

"It's what friends are for." Scott said as Stiles slowed down to park.

"This is it? He lives here?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, I know it might not look like much on the outside, but there's a lot of room inside. C'mon." Scott said. The three of them made their way inside and up the elevator. When they got to the right floor Scott knocked on the door.

"Derek? We're here." Scott called. Soon after the door opened.

"You're late." Derek told them.

"There was traffic." Scott told him. The three of them went inside and Liam got a good look at the place. It was big, like Scott said. A little dusty but still good. Liam saw a bed in the corner and a table by the stairs but that was about it. He assumed Derek didn't have much need for much else.

"How long have you two have?" Derek asked.

"We have to drop Liam back home at 9, so a couple hours." Scott told him.

"That should be enough for today."

"Thanks again for letting us use your place for this." Scott told Derek.

"Honestly, I was waiting for when you'd ask. It's about time you got some proper training." Derek said.

"Right, 'proper training'. Sure." Stiles said.

"Why is he here again?" Derek asked of Stiles.

"Because it's Stiles." Scott told him. "Kira, Lydia, and Malia are coming too."

"You didn't mention that." Derek told him.

"Sorry, is that a problem?" Scott asked nervously.

"No, just next time tell me." Derek said.

"Right." Scott said as he turned to Liam. "So let's get started. Let's start by you starting to shift like you told me in the car." Scott told him.

"Okay." Liam said. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, they were a glowing yellow.

"Good, good. Keep going." Scott encouraged. Liam nodded. He focused again and his hands began to change. They had claws now.

"This is where I stop myself." Liam told Scott.

"You stop yourself?" Derek asked.

"Yeah. I don't have complete control yet." Liam told him.

"If you can 'stop yourself' from shifting further, you have better control than you think." Derek told him.

"He's right. Why don't you try shifting further? See if you can get your fangs." Scott instructed.

"Alright." Liam focused once again and tried to grow his fangs. Scott saw Liam's jaw move as the change occurred. He heard Liam let out a growl as he barred his fangs.

"How are you feeling?" Scott asked.

"I feel good. I can control this." Liam said.

"Great." Scott said, clearly happy with the progress.

"Actually, not great." Derek said.

"And sour-wolf strikes again." Stiles said.

"What?" Scott exclaimed.

"In a fight, a real fight, your opponent isn't going to just sit around and let you take your time to shift. You need to be able to change quickly. Otherwise you're just a sitting target." Derek told them both.

"Derek, this is just practice, not a real fight." Scott said.

"Then practice for a real fight. Shift and show him how to do it." Derek told him.

"Scott, as much as I don't wanna, I'm gonna have to agree with Derek. Your names are on a deadpool and assassins are trying to kill you. Maybe you want to train a little harder." Stiles relented.

"Yeah you're probably right. Liam, you good with speeding this up a bit?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, I can handle it." Liam said.

"Alright. I'm gonna shift now. Watch how I do it and see if you can get anything from it." Scott told him. Liam nodded as Scott began to shift. Liam watched as Scott began to change before his eyes. Scott closed his eye and turned his head as hair grew from his cheeks and his brow became more pronounced. His ears grew and pointed and claws grew from his fingers. Scott opened his eyes and they were blazing red and let out a growl to reveal sharp fangs.

"Did you see?" Scott asked. His voice was slightly deeper and more feral, but other than that, he sounded like he was in control.

"Yeah."

"Good. Now try to shift yourself. If you start to lose control, I'll be right here." Scott reassured. Liam nodded and did as he was told. He tried to force himself to change and he turned his neck like Scott did. When he opened his eyes again he let out another growl.

"Did I do it?" he asked. Scott, still shifted, shook his head.

"No, you're still in that in-between state with your eyes, claws, and fangs." Scott told him.

"Why is that? I was able to shift at the hospital." Liam said.

"Maybe that was because of the situation. You were about to fight the Berserkers so your instinct to fight helped you shift." Derek offered.

"How do you know that?" Stiles asked.

"Cora had the same problem. When she was learning how to control the shift, she couldn't get past just changing her eyes. But when she got into a fight, she would be able to shift all the way with little issue." Derek explained.

"So I should get into a fight?" Liam asked.

"Maybe later. Let's try something else. Change back to normal." Derek said.

"Why?"

"Liam, just try it." Scott said. Liam nodded and did so. His fangs and claws retracted and his eyes returned to normal.

"You too, Scott." Derek instructed. Scott quickly changed back too.

"Now what?" Liam asked.

"Now Scott is going to shift again and you're going to watch him." Derek said.

"How is that any different from what we just did?" Liam asked, getting slightly annoyed.

"The difference, is that you're going to shift from the very beginning. No stopping at the in between state." Derek explained.

"So going straight from point A to point B, then. That actually doesn't sound horrible." Stiles said with surprise.

"Stiles, be nice." Scott said.

"What? That was me being nice." Stiles told him.

"Yeah, fine. Ok Liam, you ready?"

"Yeah. Let's do this." Liam said. Scott began to shift again, but this time when he let out a growl, it was more aggressive, primal. There was another knock at the door.

"I'll get it, it's probably the girls." Stiles said as he got up to open the door. Liam noticed the way Scott looked at him as he got up. It was almost… predatory, but it was quick, barely noticeable.

"Hey, come on in. party's just getting started." Stiles told Lydia and Malia. "Hey." Stiles said awkwardly to Malia as she passed by.

"Hey" she returned just as awkwardly.

"How have you been?" Stile asked.

"I've been better." Malia said.

"Can we talk?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Hey, Derek is there a place where we could talk?" Stiles asked.

"You can go upstairs." Derek told them.

"Thanks." Stiles told him. He and Malia went upstairs.

"Where's Kira?" Scott asked.

"With her mom. She wants to be with her right now." Lydia answered. Scott nodded.

"So how's the training going?" Lydia asked as she took a seat on the couch.

"Not too bad actually. We're just practicing transforming right now." Liam told them.

"And we're waiting on you, so if you don't mind…" Derek told him. Liam let out a small growl at Derek. Oddly enough, he seemed pleased.

"Now, change now. Remember this feeling, let it all go and shift." Derek told him. Liam tried to do what he suggested and he felt himself change. Liam craned his neck and he could feel his features change. His claws and fangs came out easier than normal, and he could feel his cheeks get hairier. His ears turned into points. And he could feel the rest of him change too. He opened his eyes and they were once again glowing yellow. Liam let out a small roar as he finished shifting.

"Good job Liam." Lydia congratulated.

"Yeah, good going. You have control?" Scott asks. Liam gives a small nod.

"Yeah, I think so. But it's hard. This is a lot more than just claws and fangs." Liam said through rough breathes.

"Remember your anchor. Remember it! Use that to keep control, tie it to your humanity." Scott reminded him. Liam tried to do that but it was so much. He was getting so angry. He was just so angry when he changed and he was getting so angry now. "Grrghh, Arrrrrgg. Mnnnnrrr." Liam growled out as he tried to gain control.

"Liam, c'mon, you can do this, remember your anchor!" Scott told him.

"AAARRRGGGGHH!" Liam roared out, as he grabbed his head and buckled over.

"Scott! Roar!" Derek told him.

"What?"

"Roar to keep your Beta in control!" Derek told him.

"I don't want to control him, I want him to control himself." Scott insisted.

"Either you roar, or your Beta goes out of his mind!" Derek told him.

"GAAAAARGGGGGHH!" Liam was on the ground now, struggling to find control.

"LIIAAAAMMMM!" Scott roared. Scott tried to get Liam to find himself again.

"Remember your anchor. You, be your own anchor!" Scott roared out. Liam was still convulsing on the floor, but as Scott's voice reached him, he began calm down.

"Liam? Liam are you ok?" Scott asked.

"Arrrrrgg, errgg, I, I think- I think so. Arrgh, it's hard. But I think- I think I got it." Liam stated as he tried to get up.

"Liam, you're doing good. You're ok. You can do this, be your own anchor." Scott told him again.

"Argh, be… my own… anchor." Liam repeated. He thought back the time when Scott was telling him about using an anchor for control.

_"Be your own anchor." Scott told his Beta._

_"How do I do that?"_

_"Focus on you. Focus on what makes you who you are, what you're proud of, what you need, your strengths, your goals. Anything and everything that makes you Liam Dunbar. And then let that ground you, let all of that keep you anchored to your humanity." Scott told him._

Liam felt… different. He felt… calm, calmer than he felt in a long time. He felt like he just scored the winning goal. He felt good, **free**. Liam got back up to his feet.

"Liam?" Scott asked. Liam took in a deep breath. He threw his head back and let out a mighty roar.

"Holy-" Lydia started.

"Scott, roar with him!" Derek said.

"Wha-"

"Just do it!" Derek demanded. Scott growled at him but in the end, did as Derek said. He took in a breath and joined his Beta in letting loose a mighty roar. The two wolves roared together long and hard, in the way only werewolves would. Lydia was surprised to hear a third, higher pitched roar join in.

"Who's that?" Lydia asked, hands over her ears.

"Malia." Derek answered. "Just let this play out." He said. Not too long after, the collective roars of the three were-beasts died down.

"Ok, what in the actual hell was that?!" Lydia demanded to know.

"It was… amazing." Derek said actually a little breathless. There was the sound of feet meeting the steps of stairs that revealed Stiles and Malia coming downstairs, Malia fully shifted.

"What in the hell was that? One minute we were, uh, talking, yeah talking, and the next she's roaring her head off." Stiles said, almost panicking. He glanced around and saw both Scott and Liam fully wolfed out and Derek looked… different. "And why does Derek look like he's in… awe of something? Can someone get him back to scowling?"

"That was The Union." Derek said, indeed in awe.

"The what?" Scott asked.

"The, The Union. It's, it's an ancient… I'll be back." Derek said as he rushed past Stiles and Malia to go upstairs.

"Does anyone know what we just did?" Malia asked.

"I don't know, but I feel weird. But a **good** weird. I feel stronger." Scott said.

"Me too. I feel in control too. I feel like I can do this, like it'll all work out." Liam said.

"I heard you guys roar and I couldn't help myself. It was like you two were inviting me to roar too." Malia said. All three of them heard the sound of footsteps running to the lofts door and quickly turned to face down whatever was coming. When the door opened, they were surprised to find Peter Hale. Not so surprised to see him in one of his trademarked V-necks.

"Derek? Derek! I rushed when I heard The Union. Derek?!" Peter frantically called out.

"What are you doing here?!" Lydia asked harshly.

"Derek asked me to come here. I was on my way up when I heard The Union, then I rushed. It was the three of you?"

"Derek asked you to come here? Today? And what the hell is this 'Union' that you keep talking about?" Scott asked. Peter's eyes flashed blue in annoyance.

"Yes, he asked me to come, yes it was today, and The Union is an ancient werewolf ritual and I suggest you **do not** take it lightly." Peter informed. "Now where is Derek?" he demanded.

"He went upstairs. He said he'd be right back." Scott told him.

"Thank you, Scott. And who is this?" Peter said, taking note of Liam. "Is this the Beta you made?"

"Yes. His name is Liam." Scott told him.

"I must say congratulations are in order. You finally procreate and now you participate in The Union with him, along with my own daughter, it seems." Peter told him.

"This is Peter?" Liam asked.

"Oh, they told you about me? I'm flattered. Did they tell you how I'm the one who bit Scott? Since he bit you, you could consider me you werewolf grandpa." Peter said with his usual smirk.

"Don't you even try that!" Scott growled at him as he got in front of Liam in a protective manner.

"Ohoho, protective of your progeny, good attitude to have towards your Beta, Scott."

"It's a shame you never had that." Lydia said.

"Oh, scathing. Why don't we all wait for Derek to come down." Peter suggested as he closed the door.

"Fine. But at least tell us what we just did, and why Derek was so affected by it." Scott asked.

"Fair enough." Peter began, unusually serious. "What the three of you just preformed was something called The Union. Am I correct in assuming that young Liam was the one who started to roar?"

"Yeah." Scott answered. Peter grinned.

"Most impressive. You're what, 16?" he asked.

"15." Liam replied.

"Most impressive indeed. The Union, as I said before, is an ancient werewolf ritual in which a young Beta experiences real control for the first time. When a Beta, in this case Liam here, first assumes real control over their full shift, they let loose a roar. This real acts as a signal of sorts to the Beta's pack. It signals that the Beta has attained control. When the rest of the pack hears this, they are compelled to roar with the Beta in a show of solidarity, pride, support and, as the name suggests, unity. The fact that the three of you did this together means that you truly are a pack. This is something very important to our kind, Scott. Don't take it so lightly." Peter warned.

"Hold on. If this is a pack thing, how come I didn't start one? I have control, kinda. I mean, I've had complete control before." Malia asked.

"Because you aren't a wolf. As this is a werewolf tradition, only a werewolf can initiate The Union. However, as a were-coyote in a pack, you are closely related to wolves enough to still be influenced should one of your pack members initiate a Union." Peter explained.

"Why are you telling us this?" Stiles asked.

"Because you asked. Any other useless questions?" Peter said with mock confusion.

"I mean, why are you willingly divulging information? Surely not out of the goodness of your heart, cause there's probably not much of that in there." Stiles said. Peter just put his hands over his heart.

"You wound me, Stiles, you truly do." Peter said mockingly. "I admit, there isn't much that I deeply care for, but I do take my werewolf heritage more seriously than you might think." Peter informed. This statement seemed to make them all think a little differently about Peter. They all still didn't trust him, but maybe understood him a little better.

"Alright, fine. But why did Derek react like that?" Scott asked.

"First, tell me why are you all shifted? Malia I understand, it's difficult to resist the call of The Union, but something tells me you two were transformed even before that." Peter asked.

"We're helping Liam practice control. And we were going to do a little training like Derek suggested. But I guess we don't need to be transformed right now." Scott told him.

"I wouldn't recommend that. Young Liam has just gained control for the first time, but who knows if he'll be able to handle it the next time he changes." Peter said. Liam growled at him in annoyance.

"As much as I hate to agree with Peter, he might be right. Do you think you can stay transformed for a while?" Scott asked Liam.

"Yeah, I feel good. I can handle this." Liam said.

"Alright. If you feel anything, just let me know and we'll stop."

"I will, but I feel fine."

"Excellent. Now to answer your other question. Derek rushed upstairs after The Union, yes?"

"Yeah." Lydia said.

"I thought so. I imagine that you three performing The Union stirred powerful memories in Derek. Back to when our family was still here." Peter said, but there was a trace of sadness in his voice. "Derek was one of the last of the Hales to start The Union. He was 13 when he did it. We were all so proud." Peter said. He meant for it to come out as sarcastic, but Scott could hear honesty in his voice.

"Maybe we should wait for him to get back." Scott suggested. They all waited in silence. Scott caught Peter sneaking glances at Malia, seemingly admiring her in her fully shifted form. Derek came back down not too longer.

"Sorry about that. Just something I needed to take care of. Peter, you're here, good. Did you tell them what they just did?" Derek asked, clearly not interested in discussing why he went upstairs.

"Why yes I did, nephew. Before we continue, let me introduce you to someone." Peter said as he looked to Malia.

"Derek, this is Malia. My long lost daughter."

"Wait, **Malia **is your daughter?" Derek asked.

"You say that as if you knew I had a daughter." Peter asked suspiciously.

"I did." Derek answered. There was a collective silence in the room.

"How did you know?" Lydia was the one to break it.

"Yes, Derek" Peter began menacingly "How **did** you know?"

"Mom told me" Derek said.

"Excuse me?" Peter asked.

"When you used mom's claws so that I could talk to her." Derek reminded him. "You asked if she said anything about you. She did." Derek told him.

"That's why you looked at me like that." Peter said, realization dawning on him.

"Yeah. She didn't tell me it was you though." Derek said to Malia.

"So we're cousins?" Malia asked.

"Yeah, we are." Derek said. Malia stood where she was for a while before she made a move.

"Woah-Malia?" Stiles called after her as she went over to Derek. What she did surprised everyone. Especially Derek.

She hugged him.

"Holy crap." Stiles and Lydia said simultaneously.

"What?" Scott stated. Liam just had a confused look on his face.

"How sweet." Peter said, effectively ruining the moment. Malia quickly pulled away from Derek, revealing that she shifted back to human.

"Sorry, um, yeah sorry. I just, I was just happy, is all." Malia said quickly.

"Happy?' Derek asked.

"Yeah. I have family now. Well, one that isn't a killer." Malia explained. Everyone could hear Stiles chuckle.

"Really? I mean I'm standing right here" Peter complained.

"In his defense, I did kill him before." Derek told her.

"I like you even more now." Malia said without missing a beat.

"Ok, now **that** is progress." Stiles said proudly.

"My own family, unbelievable." Peter mumbled, but Scott could actually feel some happiness from him. He decided not to say anything but assumed it was because his family was together.

"Ok, um sorry Scott, Liam. You two probably wanted to practice." Malia said.

"It's fine. But yeah, it would be nice if we could get back to that. Speaking of which, why exactly is Peter here?" Scott asked Derek.

"He knows important details about control and fighting that I don't. I convinced him to come, so let's not have me regret it." Derek said.

"Fair point."

"Well now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's get started shall we?" Peter said.

"Alright." Liam said, still fully shifted.

"Now, I assume that you have an anchor, something that lets you be in control of yourself, as you are now?" Peter asked.

"Yeah."

"Good. Then I don't need to explain that. I will, however, say that using an anchor isn't the only way to control the shift." Peter said.

"What, what do you mean?" Scott asked.

"I mean, that while using an anchor is a reliable way to find control, it's not only one. Sufficient will power can sometimes be used as substitute for when an anchor isn't working." Peter explained.

"Why would an anchor not work?" Scott asked.

"Because an anchor is only as good as the meaning behind it. Should an anchor ever lose its meaning, or if someone's faith in their anchor is shaken, it will cease to work." Peter said.

"So what's your anchor then?" Liam asked impulsively.

"Liam!" Scott said.

"It's ok, Scott, the young pup is curious." Peter eased.

"Pup?" Liam repeated, clearly getting annoyed.

"C'mon Liam, don't let him rile you up." Scott implored.

"My, my. Someone has a temper." Peter snarked.

"Peter!" Scott warned.

"No, it's fine. I'm calm. Kinda, sorta." Liam assured.

"Good job, little wolf. But the term 'pup' was indeed used to describe new wolves, whether they be born wolves or turned. Even Derek was called pup." Peter explained.

"Really? Pup is a thing?" Lydia asked.

"Yes is it. It's either that or baby wolf." Peter said.

"**Nobody** is calling me 'baby wolf!" Liam immediately stated.

"I dunno, I kinda like the sound of 'baby wolf'." Stiles teased. Liam quickly growled at him.

"Liam, remember what we talked about?" Scott prompted. Liam saw his opportunity.

"Yeah, _'He's a sarcastic little shit'_, I remember." Liam teased back. Scott grinned, which looked slightly creepy as he was still wolfed out.

"Really, Scott? **Really**?" Stiles complained.

"Well, he's not wrong." Lydia stated.

"You too Lydia?" Stiles complained.

"Can we get back to the point?" Malia asked.

"Ah, yes. Thank you Malia. I believe young Liam here wanted to know what my anchor is, right?" he asked. Liam nodded. "Well it's quite simple. My anchor is my own ambition, the goal that I strive for."

"What's that?" Lydia asked.

"To get back what was taken from me." Peter answered.

"What would that be?" Derek asked suspiciously. Peter just smirked.

"Sorry, but that's enough personal sharing from me for one day." Peter said. It easily caused tension in the room, but Scott didn't miss the way Peter's eyes lingered on Derek and Malia when Derek asked that. He just didn't know what to make of it. The tension was broken when everyone heard a phone ring.

**(A/N. So I know this might seem a little late considering how frequently I updated the other chapters, but stuff happened. Mainly school and whatnot and some personal things. But as a way to make up for that, or as an extra treat for some people, there will be another chapter posted VERY soon. Either later today or early tomorrow. It will immediately continue after this chapter so the cliff wont be too long to hang from. As always, if you liked it please leave a review. If not, well thanks for reading anyway.)  
**


	4. Chapter 4

"Sorry, that's me." Liam said as he tried to get his phone out from his pockets. His claws hindered him but he got it nonetheless.

"Who is it?" Scott asked.

"Crap, it's my dad." Liam said as he answered it. "Hey, dad." Liam answered. The wolves and Malia could hear the conversation thanks to their hearing.

"Hey, kiddo. Just calling to check up on you. How's practice going?" Liam's step-father asked.

"It's going good."

"Good, good. It's almost 8:30, remember I said 9." He reminded.

"Yeah, dad. We're just studying now though." Liam lied.

"Studying? With your lacrosse captain? Isn't he a few years ahead of you?"

"Yeah but I'm not just with him. A couple of his friends are here and they're helping me too." Liam said.

"Alright then. Maybe they can tutor you sometime."

"I'll ask. Right now they're helping me study for an English test I have in a couple weeks."

"What's the test about?"

"Old European mythology. Werewolves and stuff like that." Liam said. "It's actually really important so is it ok if I stay a little longer?" Liam asked. Stiles gave an approving thumbs up for the clever lie.

"Hmmm. I don't know. You said your captain was Scott McCall?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Let me talk to him." He asked. Liam gave Scott the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, yes. This is Scott, I presume?"

"Yeah, I'm Scott."

"Melissa's boy, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Heh, you can call me Mr. Geyer. I've seen you around the hospital a few times and Melissa tells me you're a good kid." Dr. Geyer said.

"My mom talks about me?"

"Yeah. You know I'm still not completely over what you did to Liam."

"Trust me, I'm not either."

"Good. I'll trust Melissa on what she says about you. Can I trust you to have him back by 10:30?" Dr. Geyer asked.

"Definitely." Scott assured.

"Good. Can you give the phone back to Liam?" he asked. Scott gave it back.

"Yeah dad?"

"I'm letting you stay longer like you wanted. But I want you in this house by 10:30. Sound fair?"

"Yeah. Thanks dad. Bye." Liam said as he hung up the phone.

"So we're good?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah. I gotta be home by 10:30 though."

"I can drop you." Stiles said.

"Thanks."

"So now that we're all good, what were you saying about other ways to find control?" Scott asked Peter.

"Many people find their own way. But there old myths on how to find control. Though seeing as how there's a True Alpha in my presence, there might not be so much difference between myth and truth." Peter remarked.

"Can you just get on with it?" Derek asked.

"Why of course. There is a myth that says that werewolves can find 'control' by giving up control." Peter began.

"What does that even mean?" Scott asked.

"No one truly knows. That's just how the myth goes. 'Should a wolf seek to master themselves, they must not look to dominate themselves'. It's archaic and old so no one really knows."

"Well, that was absolutely useless." Lydia said.

"You're the ones that asked. Now, if I recall correctly this isn't the only reason you called me here." Peter said.

"He's right. You two need to learn how to fight." Derek told Scott and Liam.

"I've already been in plenty of fights. Some with you, even." Scott told Derek.

"And you didn't win those with me." Derek told him. Scott growled at him, surprising Derek a little.

"Well, now I'm an Alpha. I can take you." Scott told him.

"Seeing as how I'm currently losing my powers, I'm sure you could. That's why you're going to fight him." Derek said, pointing at Peter who had his eyes glowing blue and wearing a grin on his face.

"You want me to fight your uncle? Isn't he low on power too?" Scott asked, almost mockingly. Stiles looked at Scott at that.

"Actually, he's stronger than he looks." Malia said.

"I'll take that as a compliment. It's true, I'm finally getting my strength back from coming back from the dead. I still can't shift completely, I'm close, but not yet. But I can manage this." Peter said as he entered the in-between state of eyes, claws, and fangs. "And I'm sure I can manage you." Peter challenged to Scott who gave a small roar to him.

"You think you can take me?" Scott said.

"Scott, I know you're an Alpha, I'm very proud of you by the way, but you lack the strength. You don't have the ferocity of an Alpha. You lack that predatory instinct, that **killer** instinct. Until you have that, you being an Alpha is just a title." Peter said. This seemed to get Scott angry as he growled quite loudly at him.

"Alright. Let's see if I can prove you wrong." Scott said as he roared at Peter and lunged for him. Peter roared right back and waited for Scott to come to him. As Scott charged at him, he raised his claws to strike. Peter easily dodged and shoved Scott down to the floor. Scott recovered quickly.

"Well, that certainly had some ferocity behind it. Now if you only planned out your attacks, you might be a challenge." Peter taunted. Scott roared again and charged once again.

"What's with his fangs?" Stiles asked Liam and Derek as he watched the fight.

"What do you mean?" Liam asked.

"I mean that they look different. There's more fangs than there used to be. Is that normal?"

"It's a little uncommon but it can happen. It usually happens as a werewolf matures, but it doesn't happen to Alpha's usually." Derek informed.

"Maybe it's because Scott hasn't been a werewolf for too long?" Liam suggested.

"Maybe." Derek said.

Scott and Peter were still going at it. Peter was easily countering Scott's moves while Scott kept lunging. Scott was getting more and more erratic with his attacks.

"Come now, Scott. Is that the best you can do? I must say I'm a little disappointed. I expected more from the True Alpha." Peter continued to taunt. Peter didn't have a scratch on him, while Scott had a few cuts and gashes from where Peter slashed him. They were healing but the cuts in his shirt gave away that they still happened.

"Something's wrong with Scott." Liam suddenly said.

"Yeah, I'll say. He should be kicking Peter's ass." Stiles said.

"That's what I've been waiting for." Lydia said.

"No! That's not it. It's something else." Liam said.

"What do you mean?" Derek asked.

"It's like I can feel him, kinda. I just know that he's getting angry. I mean **really** angry. Like not human angry." Liam said.

Just then, Scott let out a loud roar at Peter. He seemed to be a little surprised by it. Scott charged at Peter once again, but it was with much more speed than before. Peter slashed out and it hit Scott, but he didn't even flinch as he took the blow head on. Scott then threw back his arm and launched it forward to land a devastating punch to Peter's chest. Peter was sent back to the wall where Scott quickly went after him. He grabbed Peter by the throat and lifted him off the ground. Scott growled in Peter's face before throwing him all the way across the room.

"Holy shit!" Stiles said. He looked at Scott and was actually a little scared of his best friend. The look on his face was one that he'd never seen before. He was used to Scott's appearance when he changed but now was different. Scott looked at Peter like how a predator would look at its wounded prey. He looked like he was going in for the kill. And he looked like he enjoyed it.

"Scott?" Stiles whispered to himself, having trouble believing that **that** was Scott. Scott began to move toward Peter. He was slowly raising his claws.

"Well" Peter began with rough breaths. His arm looked broken and he had blood trickling from his mouth. "It seems like you have some of that killer instinct after all." Peter said as Scott continued to advance on him.

"Scott!" called out Liam. He wanted to get his Alpha back to normal. Scott heard Liam and quickly turned to him. Liam thought that Scott would calm down but was very surprised when he just growled at him. Scott then surprised everyone and lunged at Liam. He was so quick that Liam didn't have time to react. Scott shoved Liam to the ground and grabbed his throat as he kneeled down to Liam's level. Scott roared and raised his claws.

"SCOTT!" Stiles yelled out. Scott faltered and was still. His grip on Liam slightly loosened.

In Scott's head, the image of a beaten and bloody Liam kept flashing through his mind. The same image from his time spent in the coma Kira induced. Scott's eyes changed back from red to brown as he came too. He saw his hand on Liam's throat and was horrified. He quickly let go and backed away from Liam.

"Scott?" Stiles asked. Scott didn't react as he just kept sliding back to the wall, turning back to human as he did so. He looked horrified. And scared. Terrified, actually.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Scott repeated over and over.

Stiles looked and saw Liam get off the ground and slowly shift back to human.

"Are you ok?" Lydia asked as she went to check up on him.

"Yea- hmm- yeah. I'm fine." Liam said. Stiles saw that he looked a little shaken up but otherwise he was fine. Stiles slowly approached Scott.

"Scott? Are you ok?" Stiles asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Was all that Scott was saying. Stiles kneeled down and placed a hand on Scott's shoulder.

"Scott? Look at me buddy." Stiles said softly. Scott looked up at Stiles. "Did I…" Scott trailed off. Stiles knew where this was going and quickly pulled Scott in for a hug.

"No, you didn't. Liam's just fine. Hell, even Peter's ok." Stiles calmed him.

"Actually-." Peter started, holding his arm.

"Yeah, Peter is just fine." Derek finished for him, shooting a glare at his uncle.

"Liam. Is he alright?" Scott asked.

"Yeah. Like I said, Liam's ok." Stiles said.

"What happened?" Lydia asked.

"I don't know, but something happened to Scott. I could actually **feel** anger roll off him." Malia said.

"That wasn't just anger." Peter said.

"What do you mean?" Lydia asked.

"That was something more. Something primal. I think he tapped into something he didn't even knew he had. Some kind of animalistic rage that he keeps locked up inside himself." Peter said.

"You look like crap." Lydia told him smugly.

"You get thrown into a wall by an Alpha, then get back to me." Peter sassed.

"So now he's an Alpha?" Derek asked, referencing Peter's earlier taunt.

"He had an Alpha's fire." Peter admitted. "I think he let it burn too hot though."

"Is he going to be alright?" Liam asked.

"Such devotion, to your Alpha. Even after he held you down, that's admirable." Peter said.

"He wasn't himself!" Liam defended.

"Wasn't he?" Peter asked cryptically.

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Liam demanded.

"Let's wait until Stiles gets back. For what I'm about to say be true at all, he needs to be here." Peter said.

"What about Scott?"

"He might not want to hear this."

"Hear what?" they all heard Scott ask.

"Nothing." Derek tried to cover up.

"No, I heard you guys talking about me. What is it?"

"Scott, we weren't-"

"Don't! Ok? Just don't!" Scott demanded. "I know what I did wasn't me, I mean it was but it wasn't. It's hard to explain, but still, I know it was bad. Liam, I'm so sorry for what I did, you gotta believe me." Scott asked of Liam.

"I do. But still, what happened? I know I'm new here, but I don't think that you do that a lot, do you?" Liam asked.

"No! I mean, in the beginning when I had trouble with control, but not recently." Scott explained.

"Peter had something to say on that matter."

"He also said you wouldn't like to hear it. And that he needed Stiles, oddly enough." Liam said.

"Why would you need me?"

"To confirm my suspicion." Peter said.

"And that suspicion is?" Stiles asked.

"That what just happened, was all Scott." Peter said dramatically, like he couldn't help it. That silenced everyone.

"What do you mean?" Scott asked quietly.

"What you just did, how you just acted, that was you. A you that you keep locked up inside. It was your anger, your hate, your rage, your pain coming to the surface." Peter explained.

"That's not it. If it was just that I wouldn't have felt anything." Scott said.

"You felt something?" Stiles asked.

"I… I liked it. I liked beating Peter down. I liked taking his hits and throwing him into the wall. I even liked holding you down, Liam. I felt strong. I felt… powerful. I felt like I was on top of the food chain." Even as Scott said this, the ghost of a wicked smile played on his lips and his eyes flashed red for the briefest of moment. It worried Stiles and Liam.

"Scott. Is there something you're not telling me? Something that happened to you?" Stiles asked.

"What? What do you mean?" Scott tried to hide.

"Scott I've been where you are, you know that. You do things that you wouldn't normally do, and you like doing them. These kinds of things have warning signs. What were your warning signs?"Stiles demanded to know. Scott seemed defeated.

"It was when Kira put me in that coma. I kept having the same dream." Scott admitted.

"What dream?" Lydia asked.

"I'd wake up in the morgue and fall out to the school. Then Liam would throw me a lacrosse ball." Scott started.

"I was in it?" Liam asked.

"Yeah. You'd throw me the ball and then have me look at the deadpool. Except the cipher would be my name and the list would be the assassins. Then you'd tell me I'd have to kill them because I'm the Alpha." Scott explain.

"Woah."

"That's not the worst part. Then the guy with no mouth would show up and kill you." Scott said.

"The Mute?" Peter asked.

"That's his name? If so, then yeah." Scott said.

"Is that all?" Stiles asked.

"No. After the mute would kill you, the dream would start over. Except the second time when you'd throw me the ball, my claws would be out. Then I'd check myself in the mirror and see that I have more fangs. You'd say that I'm becoming more of a werewolf. I'd say that I'm becoming more of a monster. Then you'd ask if it makes me stronger, if it was like I was 'growing'. Then The Mute would kill you again and say that I'm 'evolving'." Scott said.

"Evolving?" Peter mused.

"What? What is that? That tone? You say that like you know something." Stiles rambled on to Peter.

"Just ideas. Theories, really. But I believe Scott isn't done yet." Peter said.

"The last time the dream repeated, you throw a tomahawk at me instead. You're on the ground, asking why **I **did it. Then The Mute would come behind me and show me how to swing the tomahawk. Then… then I'd start killing you with it. I'd slash you over and over and over again until you're dead and you blood is everywhere. And I'd like doing it too. Then I'd roar at you and that's when Kira woke me up." Scott finished. He noticed Liam take a step back away from him.

"Liam, I swear I would never do anything like that. You know that, right?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, I just… Your dream and what you just did to me, that's all kinda freaking me out." Liam explained.

"You said you had theories. What were they?" Derek said to Peter.

"I think I've done more than my fair share of hero work today. Perhaps another time." Peter said, but Derek wasn't letting it go so easily.

"No. Put in another share. Tell us. Now!" Derek demanded.

"Someone seems impatient. Fine, as you wish, nephew." Peter began. "You are all aware of the saying 'sometime the shape you take reflects the person you are', yes?" Peter asked. He received a collective nod.

"Well, if we take that and apply it to Scott here, what would we gather from it?" Peter asked.

"He's a werewolf." Malia said.

"Yes, but that's not all, is it?"

"He's an Alpha." Liam said.

"A **True** Alpha. Extremely rare, almost exclusively myth. Our little Scott is one of those few and rare wolves that became an Alpha without having to kill for it. This matches his personality, yes? Protective, heroic, blandly moral. Always wants to do the right thing, never wanting to hurt anyone if he can avoid it."

"What's your point?" Stiles demanded.

"My point, is that Scott seeks to solve things without conflict. Not wanting to use force or violence. Not wanting to fall back on being what he is, a predator. A werewolf." Peter said.

"What are you saying? That I don't like being a werewolf?" Scott asked.

"Do you? Do you accept what you are?"

"I know I'm a werewolf!" Scott stated.

"That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking if you accept the fact that you are no longer fully human, that you've left humanity as a whole behind. Scott McCall, I'm asking if you have come to accept the fact that you are a werewolf." Peter pushed.

"I… I don't know." Scott said. The truth was he was back and forth on this. He hated what he was at first, but then he learned control. He realized that in the new world that he lived in, he could help people with what he is. He could use it for good and not be the monster that Peter was.

"There's your problem. You probably consider you being a werewolf as something you can use. Something that you can take out and put away whenever you need to. You're wrong. A werewolf is what you are, not something you can be when the situation calls for it. You are a werewolf at all times, and you deny yourself of that. You fight against what you are and now that you're an Alpha, you fight against that primal instinct that you have inside you. You keep it locked away, you keep being a werewolf locked away." Peter admonished.

"Well what am I supposed to do!?" Scott yelled out, eyes flashing red. "I have to keep it 'locked away', I don't have a choice."

"Our kind don't take kindly to being 'locked away', Scott. Sooner or later we fight against those chains and break free. And by the looks of you, your chains are starting to weaken." Peter said.

"So what does he have to do?" Stiles asked. He looked visibly pained for asking Peter for help, but Scott needed it.

"My guess is that Scott has to accept what he is. It's not enough that he knows he's a werewolf. He needs to know what that means. He can't keep locking it away. If he does, well, you saw what just happened." Peter said.

"So basically, he needs to get it together, again, or he loses control?" Stiles asked, annoyed. Peter shrugged.

"Basically." Peter said.

"Great." Scott said sarcastically.

"Scott you ok?" Stiles asked.

"No, I'm so far from ok right now." Scott replied. Stiles chuckled. "What?" Scott asked.

"Nothing. It's just that the last time you said that to me, you were a going crazy because of wolfs-bane. Brings back memories." Stiles said.

"Yeah. Back when we just got into this world." Scott reminisced.

"You feeling any better?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah. A little. Do you mind dropping Liam off? I wanna stay here for while, talk to Derek." Scott requested. Stiles clasped him on the back.

"You got it buddy."  
"Thanks man. I just don't feel all that good after what I did." Scott said.

"Hey, that wasn't you. Trust me, I know what it's like to think you did something bad when it really wasn't you." Stiles reminded him.

"I know you do but this is different. You were possessed, that was **literally** something else doing those things. Nothing was possessing me. As much as I hate to say it, and I **really** hate saying it, Peter was right. What just happened was all me, a me that I try not to bring out, but still me. Like you said, I have to get it together, or things are going to get worse." Scott told him.

"How are we gonna do that?" Stiles asked.

"We?" Scott repeated.

"What? You think I'm gonna let you do this by yourself? C'mon Scott, you should know better by now." Stiles playfully admonished. Scott chuckled.

"You're right. What was I thinking?" he said sarcastically.

"You weren't." Stiles joked. Scott playfully shoved him. "Ok, rude."

"Whatever. But seriously man, thanks." Scott told him.

"Always." Stiles said as he walked to Liam.

"Hey, Liam. I know it's earlier than you planned, but you feel like heading out?" Stiles asked him.

"Yeah. Sounds alright." Liam said.

"Really?" Stiles asked confused.

"Yeah. Been a long night. Just kinda want to go home." Liam told him, still a little uneasy after what just happened.

"Yeah, I get that. You mind if I drop you home?" Stiles asked.

"No, it's fine. Is Scott coming with us?"

"No. He wants to stay here, figure some things out." Stiles told him.

"Alright. Are we leaving now?"

"In a minute. I'm gonna ask Malia if she wants to come. And Lydia probably needs a ride too." Stiles said.

"Alright." Liam said. Stiles went over to Malia who was talking to Derek.

"Hey." Stiles said. Malia turned to him.

"Hey."

"So, I'm gonna drop Liam home. Then I was probably gonna go home myself, you uh, you want to come?" Stiles asked nervously, still not sure on if they were ok or not.

"No. I'm going to stay with Derek for a while. I want to get to know my new family." Malia told him.

"Alright, yeah, that's cool." Stiles stammered out.

"But I'll come by later." Malia said. Stiles cheered up.

"Alright, I'll see you then." Stiles said. He walked back to Liam and saw that he was talking to Lydia.

"So are we heading out?" Lydia asked.

"We?" Stiles asked.

"Oh, give it up. Liam already told me that you were going to ask me." Lydia told him.

"What? I have no idea…" Stiles began but stopped when he saw the look on Lydia's face.

"Alright, fine! Jeez, a guy can't even have a joke. C'mon." Stiles gave up. The three of them went down to the jeep before Stiles started talking again.

"Wait. How did you and Malia get here? I don't see your car." Stiles asked as they all got in the jeep. Stiles and Lydia taking the front, Liam in the back.

"We walked." Lydia answered. Stiles quickly turned his head towards her.

"You what?!" he asked.

"We walked." Lydia repeated again.

"The two of you walked here. Alone? When both of your names are on a deadpool? When there are assassins trying to **kill** you?" Stiles asked, exasperated.

"Relax, Stiles. We were in broad daylight, with plenty of witnesses. No one is going to try and kill us then. Well, no one smart." Lydia assured him.

"That still doesn't make me feel any better." Stiles said.

"I'm sure you making out with Malia upstairs made you feel better." Lydia quipped.

"What? How- how did you know that?" Stiles asked.

"It was all over your face. And part of your neck." Lydia said.

"What? My neck?"

"Hickey, dude." Liam said from the back seat. Stiles immediately tried shifting his shirt to cover it up.

"That doesn't work so well when we already know about it." Lydia said.

"Doesn't mean I can't try." Stiles said.

"Yeah, but it also doesn't mean you'll succeed." Liam said.

"Hey, you know you don't have to be mean about it." Stiles said.

"He's not being mean. He's right." Lydia said.

"You're defending him?" Stiles accused.

"Yeah. So what if I am? You gonna do something about it, Stilinski?" Lydia playfully challenged. Stiles put up his finger as retaliation but a quick glance at Lydia face shut him down.

"No…" Stiles said defeated.

"And why is that?" Lydia prompted.

"Seriously? Do we have to do this in front of the new kid?" Stiles asked.

"Yes. It's a perfect opportunity for him to learn. Now say it." Lydia said. Stiles sighed vey audibly.

"Lydia is always right." Stiles said like it wasn't his first time saying it. Lydia seemed very happy.

"Seriously? That's a thing?" Liam asked.

"Yes it is." Lydia said.

"Since when?" Liam asked.

"Since always." Lydia stated matter-of-factly.

"Noted." Liam said. They drove in silence for a few blocks after that.

"Is Scott going to be ok?" Liam asked out of the blue.

"Yeah. He'll be fine, Liam." Stiles assured.

"How can you know that?" Liam asked.

"Because… it's Scott. He always pulls through. And if he can't, we pull for him." Stiles said.

"Even with something like this?" Liam said.

"Hey, it isn't the first time Scott lost control. We've managed before and we'll mange again."

"He didn't look like he just lost control. He looked different too." Liam said.

"What do you mean?" Stiles asked.

"I think I know what he's talking about. Scott looked different. Almost like he changed… more." Lydia added.

"Again, what do you mean?" Stiles repeated.

"For a second back there, when he was thrashing Peter, his eyes looked almost… black." Lydia said.

"I saw that too. When he held me down I saw it. It was like the whites of his eyes turned black. It didn't look right." Liam said, suppressing a shudder.

"Black eyes?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh, this isn't good." Stiles said.

"For a different reason than I've been saying?" Liam asked.

"Yeah. The last time I saw those eyes, they were on Peter. When he was an Alpha." Stiles said, effectively silencing everyone.

"What if what he said in the dream is true? That he's becoming more of a werewolf?" Liam asked.

"Or more of a monster?" Stiles prompted, remembering the rest of what Scott said.

"No." Lydia stated.

"No?" Liam asked.

"No!" Lydia repeated. "Scott is not going to turn onto that **thing** Peter is. He can't. We can't have that happen to him!" Lydia said, almost panicking. Stiles knew that she was having flashbacks of Peter as an Alpha.

"Hey, Lydia! Scott's not going to turn into that. Ok? We won't let that happen." Stiles calmed her.

"How can we do that?" Liam asked.

"We be there for him. If Scott's thinks that he's gonna turn into a monster, we have to show him that he isn't one." Stiles said.

"So we kinda have to be his anchors?" Liam guessed.

"Yeah, kinda like that." Stiles agreed.

"Then it's settled. We make sure Scott stays the same way he is." Lydia said.

"We are the Scott McCall protection squad." Stiles announced.

"No!" both Lydia and Liam said immediately. "We are **not** making that a thing!" Lydia said adamantly.

"What? I like it, it's catchy." Stiles defended.

"It really isn't." Liam said.

"Why you gotta be so rude?" Stiles asked.

"Did… did you just reference MAGIC?" Liam asked.

"Uhhh, n- no?" Stiles tried to lie.

"You know I can tell when you're lying, right?" Liam reminded him.

"Hey, hey! Would you look at that. We're at your house." Stiles said.

"No we're not. We're still a few blocks away." Liam corrected.

"Well you can run home." Stiles said.

"Stiles, stop being such a child and drive him home." Lydia admonished.

"Thank you Lydia." Liam said smugly.

"Why are you taking his side?" Stiles complained.

"Because he's right." Lydia said simply. Stiles just made grumbling sounds to complain.

Liam saw that Lydia had a satisfied smirk on her face and assumed that she regularly won these little arguments with Stiles. Soon after that they actually arrived at Liam's house.

"Thanks for dropping me guys." Liam said as he got out of the jeep.

"Yeah." Stiles said sadly.

"Are you still upset over that?" Lydia asked incredulously.

"Yes I am! You know it would for me to be right for once." Stiles complained.

"Aww. I'm sure it'll happen one day." Lydia said.

"Yeah, whatever." Stiles pouted.

"Well, thanks anyway." Liam said again.

"You're welcome, Liam." Lydia said. Liam walked to his door and waited until Stiles and Lydia drove away. He could still hear Stiles complaining though. Liam went inside and locked the door behind him.

"Dad, I'm home." Liam called out to the house.

"In the living room." His dad called back. Liam went to him and sat down on the couch opposite him.

"You're home early. It's only 10." Dr. Geyer said.

"Yeah. We finished early." Liam told him.

"Alright. Did everything go well?"

"Yeah. They helped me a lot." Liam told him.

"Good. Then can I expect an 'A' on that test you told me about?" Dr. Geyer asked.

"I'll uh, I'll do my best. It's still new to me so I'm still getting the hang of it." Liam told him.

"I'm sure you'll get it in no time. Your mom's upstairs sleeping so there's leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry." He told Liam.

"Alright. I'm gonna take it up to my room. Night, dad." Liam said as he went to the kitchen.

"Good night." Dr. Geyer replied. Liam just got a few slices of cold pizza from the fridge and went up to him room. He laid down on his bed while he ate and thoughts about the events from the night. He was happy that he finally got some real control but he remembered Scott and him losing it. He remembered the black and red eyes that stared him down as he lost breath. Liam knew that something was wrong with Scott. As he drifted off to sleep, Liam hoped that everything would be alright in the end.

**(A/N. I use these a lot don't I? So anyway, I know I said that it would be 'early' today but college got in the way. ALSO I would like to thank Choo plus Choo Equals Train for inspiring me with the 'evolving' Scott idea. It was something I thought about already so I'm glad others did too. As always if you liked the chapter, please feel free to leave a review.)**


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